Pogacar pays tribute to his late former teammate at Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Tadej Pogacar crossed the line in Liège with another victory to his name, but his thoughts were elsewhere. As he rolled through the finish, he put his hand on his heart and raised his finger in the sky. Throughout the race, he had worn a black armband.
The Slovenian was paying tribute to former teammate Cristian Camilo Muñoz, who died earlier this week at the age of 30 following complications after a crash at the Tour du Jura.
Muñoz had initially been treated after the accident in France before travelling to Spain, where he was due to ride the Vuelta a Asturias. His condition deteriorated in the days that followed and he was placed in an induced coma in hospital in Valladolid. He died on April 24.
Pogačar and Muñoz spent three seasons together at UAE Team Emirates between 2019 and 2021, during the early years of the Slovenian’s rise to the top of the sport. The Colombian, for example, rode alongside Pogačar at the 2019 Tour of California, where he claimed his first stage race victory.
In Liège, the tribute was visible throughout the day. Pogačar wore a black armband, while a minute of applause was held before the start in memory of the Colombian rider.
For Pogačar, it was not the first time his presence at Liège-Bastogne-Liège has been intertwined with personal loss. In 2022, he withdrew from the race following the death of the mother of his partner, Urška Žigart. A year later, he returned to La Doyenne but crashed and broke his wrist.
When he won the race in 2024, he rode with her memory with him throughout the day and later dedicated the victory in an emotional interview. In 2025, he again carried that tribute into the race, winning on the anniversary of her passing with a message written on his race number.
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